Virginia Hanson teaches agricultural communications courses, advises undergraduate students, and serves as an adviser to the CALS club Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). Her teaching aims to empower students to embrace a variety of modes to successfully communicate with others about agriculture, science, technology, and community.

A teacher of English and writing for over 25 years, Virginia holds a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire (1991) and an MA in English from Portland State University (1993). She has taught secondary English courses in public and private schools and various undergraduate English courses, including writing with research and technical writing.

Originally from upstate New York, Virginia comes from a multi-generational dairy farming family. She interned at Cornell Cooperative Extension in 1989, assisting in radio publication as well as entomology and natural resources outreach. In 2013, Virginia began served on the Board of Directors of Wisconsin’s Just Local Food cooperative, which aims to connect consumers with local farmers and growers.

She is active on various campus committees and is committed to connecting agricultural communication students with industry leaders.